For Gen 1 fans, Detective Pikachu is quickly becoming the must-see movie event of the year. And given that we’re also about to witness the release of some huge films like Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King, that’s quite a statement. But it’s fair to say that Detective Pikachu, the live-action adaptation from Warner Bros. and director Rob Letterman, has filled its boots with enough generation 1 icons (Charizard! Lickitung!) and more nostalgia than you can shake a Pokeball at.
Not only that, but the film is already testing off the charts in early screenings, too, while the studio believes that their love letter to all things Pokémon will easily bring in a global audience through brand equity alone. Which, in other words, means that this could be one of 2019’s biggest success stories. And at least if the early box office projections hold true, it certainly will be.
Box Office Pro has pegged Detective Pikachu for a $75-$90 million opening on home turf, before it goes on to amass a domestic total of $250 million. That’d certainly be an impressive performance and while things can always change between now and release, it’s clear that Warner Bros. is sitting on a pretty sizable hit here.
It’s not like we expected anything less, either, as Nintendo’s powerhouse franchise has been a worldwide phenomenon ever since first breaking onto the scene more than two decades ago and by all accounts, Pokémon has managed to avoid the common pitfalls associated with franchise fatigue. As such, we fully expect for Detective Pikachu to go down well with audiences later this year when it blasts into theaters on May 10th.
And yes, there’s already been talk of potential live-action sequel to the Warner Bros. joint, which means that Ryan Reynolds will be back in the voice booth as everyone’s favorite pocket monster.
